In the present healthcare environment, it is desirable to download data from devices regularly used by patients to other devices, such as PCs and the like, so that the data may be analyzed. Treatment of various medical conditions may then be optimized by analysis of the data. The transfer of information needs to occur without undue strain on the patient's medical device, such as a drain on the medical device battery, as well as maintaining safe conditions including electrical isolation, for the patient. Interface cables have the problem of maintaining isolation of the patient from electrical hazards presented by having a cable in electrical contact with powered devices, such as a PC, that may present a hazard to the patient. In the past, infrared communications have been proposed as a solution to the isolation problem; however, this puts an undue strain on the battery of the medical device. A medical device may be a device that monitors a medical condition and collects data, such as a blood glucose monitor. Alternatively, a medical device could also be a device that administers treatment to a patient in response to a treatment regime determined by a healthcare professional, such as a drug therapy regime for the treatment of diabetes. Finally, a medical device could be a combination device that both monitors a medical condition and administers a treatment in response to the medical conditions monitored.
Normally when a medical device is connected to a serial port, such as a standard serial or USB port on a base device, the user must select the type of serial port to which the device is connected. Also, when a base device has a plurality of standard serial ports, the user must configure the base device to communicate on the particular serial port to which the medical device is connected, which can cause confusion. It would be advantageous for the base device to have the ability to detect the presence of a medical device so that it may begin downloading data or performing other processes. In addition, it is not desirable to require the medical device to use a standard serial communication interface, which involves a complex connection. Such a connection may possibly require using a secondary connector on the medical device, thereby increasing costs and complexity. What is needed is an interface cable that provides isolation, automatic detection and a simple connection to the medical device.
The automatic detection feature has great advantages in a healthcare setting where multiple vendors' software and cables are used. In such a setting, it is very annoying and tedious for the healthcare provider to figure out which port they are connected to every time they connect or re-connect a cable. Some serial connecting devices tie the request to send (RTS) connection and clear to send (CTS) connection together and the data terminal ready (DTR) connection and data set ready (DSR) connection together, this allows the software to determine that a cable is connected to a particular port, but does not identify to which vendor the cable belongs. Also on some computers this tie back scenario causes the power to be sent back to the PC and not to power any internal circuitry of the cable. A clear solution that automatically detects the identity of the connecting device would help solve the above problems, save time, reduce undue frustration, and facilitate quicker exchanges of patient data.
The computer skills among persons required to use various medical devices vary greatly. For instance, persons of all ages may have diabetes, the onset of which can happen at a very early age or much later in life, so there is a wide variety of computer proficiency among diabetes patients and their families. Connecting a medical device to a cable or connecting device and then to a base device can be tedious particularly when neither the medical device nor the base device provide any indication whether a connection problem exists or on which end the problem may lie. Presently, there does not exist a connecting device for medical devices that includes an animated meter-to-connecting device-to-PC connection graphics and text messaging display system to assist the user in properly connecting their medical device to a PC.
Other meter download software programs have some graphics associated with the meter download process but none of them provide the combined state detection, graphics, and messages of an embodiment of the present invention.